The Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod Legs are like the Honda Accord of tripods -- not very flashy or exotic but gets the job done and is a piece of equipment you can depend on. These aluminum legs weigh in at five pounds, putting them in between the super light carbon fiber legs from Induro and the heavy duty kits, so they can definitely hold some weight and are quite solid. We've shot on this tripod with a Gimbal head and a 600mm lens on it even, but the tripod was at it lowest setting.

One really cool features is that it features the Manfrotto-patented horizontal center column, which allows the center column to flip quickly and easily from vertical to horizontal. By extending the column to its highest vertical position, it can be swung over to horizontal without removing the head or disassembling the column itself.